Archive for the ‘Post Topics’ Category

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USDA approves new ‘Non-GMO’ label for meat, liquid egg products

Friday, June 28th, 2013

by Catherine Haug, June 28, 2013NonGmoProject-meat label

(image, right, from NonGMOProject.org (3))

One way to get around the absence of mandatory labeling of GMO and GE foods, is to create a label that certifies a food is GMO and GE free. Anyone can say on a label that it is “GMO free,” but without certification, the consumer has no way of knowing if the statement is true or false.

Now there will be a “Certified GMO/GE-Free” label, approved by the USDA, with certification by the Non-GMO Food Project. This label can be applied to meats and meat products, and also liquid egg products to assure the consumer the animals have not been fed a GMO diet.

Many consumers are not aware that most commercial livestock are fed a GMO diet; and they may not aware of the conflict of interest involved with many Organic and Non-GMO Brands. Read on for more on these topics. (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO, Home & Ranch | 1 Comment »

Gathering Summary: Rendering Animal Fat for Soap Making with Sheree Tompkins, June 19, 2013

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
Melting fat, with Cracklings

Melting fat, with Cracklings

by Catherine Haug, June 23, 2013

(photo, right, by C. Haug)

This is just a short synopsis; you can find more detail in the complete, printable pdf file: [a link will be added here when available]. Sheree had two handouts:

See also related photo-essay on The EssentiaList: Rendering Lard in a Crockpot: The Process

From the Gathering Notice about this event:

Sheree discussed equipment and materials needed to render fat, as well as an overview of the process with a dry demonstration. She also discussed how this fat is used in soap making, and the properties they contribute to the soap; this topic brought the most discussion.

While soaps made from vegetable fats and oils are popular right now, animal fats have served humans well for eons, and they are much less expensive than imported vegetable fats, especially if the fat is from wild game from the local area. Additionally, it is an efficient use of what would otherwise be waste from the butchering of animals.

Animal fats have many other uses, especially in cooking, as they generally tolerate high-heat than the fragile polyunsaturated vegetable oils. (more…)

Posted in Ecology, Food-Nutrition-Health, Gathering Summaries, Home & Ranch, Kitchen Hints | 2 Comments »

Unhealthful common foods to avoid

Sunday, June 16th, 2013

by Catherine Haug, June 16, 2013

Dr. Mercola lists 9 common foods you should never eat. I heartily agree with his assessment. If you avoid processed foods, use unrefined sea salt, and buy Organic produce (or locally-grown food from growers you trust), you will mostly avoid the bad foods on the list. The 9 common foods are: (more…)

Posted in Cat's Fats, Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO, Health, Organics | Comments Closed

Supreme Court Decision: Victory over biotech patenting of human DNA

Saturday, June 15th, 2013

by Catherine Haug, June 14, 2013

Yesterday, June 13, the US Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision about the patenting of genes or DNA. This particular case, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad, concerned human DNA, but the implication of this decision could be far reaching.

The court declared, “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated…” (1)

This addresses what the court termed as only one category of DNA segment. It also identified another category of DNA segment that could be patentable. In other words, the court determined there are two categories of genes/DNA segments, and it ruled differently for each. (2)

(more…)

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO | Comments Closed

GMO Labeling Law awaits Governor’s signature in Connecticut

Tuesday, June 4th, 2013
Frankenfood

Frankenfood

by Catherine Haug, June 4, 2013

(image, right, used by permission from the Organic Consumers Association)

On June 3, 2013, Connecticut passed a law requiring foods with genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature. This is a major victory despite the House-added amendment requiring “five of nine neighboring states to pass similar GMO labeling laws, so long as those states have a combined population of 20 million” before the law would take effect (from the Alliance for Natural Health). The New York Times reports the legislature passed the bill  134 to 3.

This is a major victory for the anti-GMO movement. As of this writing more than 20 other states are considering GMO-labeling laws. Alaska passed a labeling law in 2005, affecting all GE fish and shellfish. Nevertheless, while the tide may be turning, the biotech industry is still a formidable adversary, defeating a labeling bill in New York legislative committee (from the New York Times).

 

Posted in GMO | Comments Closed

Gathering Summary: Survival Skills: Water in the Wild and at Home, by Doug and Chelsey Luehr, May 15, 2013

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

by Catherine Haug, May 23, 2013

This is just a short synopsis; you can find more detail in the complete, printable pdf file: [a link will be added here when available]. See also presentation handouts:

This presentation was in two parts:

  1. Doug Luehr on water gathering and purification methods when in the wild or away from home; and
  2. Chelsey Luehr on how to live without running water, specifically hygiene and waste management at home.

See also their business website SurvivorGeek.com.

Posted in Compost, Emergency Preparedness, Gathering Summaries, Home & Ranch, Survival; Primitive Living | Comments Closed

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